Acill wrote:
Things are so out of controll on ebay these days. It shows the true face of so many people out there. i've been ripped off no less then 10 times from people. Most of them using Paypal. All I accept now is a money order and personal checks sent registered mail so I can track them. I prefer a bank check since I can call the bank to verify funds.
Hmm. I know it's possible to be screwed with a cashier's check, but I forget how... while calling first probably does help.
Personally, I prefer PayPal when buying, because I at least know the seller can't claim payment was lost (dragging things out past eBay's N day limit for complaints), and have a combination of eBay, PayPal, and Visa/MC to run screaming to if I do get hosed. (Making insurance an extra cost is rather lame, but at the same time, if I were blowing more than $100, I'd consider it...)
However, I'm just going to point out the converse: When a seller's not going to accept instant payment, I want to hear back a) when the payment is received, and b) when the item is shipped, preferrably by a trackable service so I can *know* it's really en route. Doing otherwise with expensive stuff just invites drama and the risk of tragedy...
...That said as I cross my fingers on a seller who seems legitimate, but has hopefully just been too 'green' to affirm a) without prompting, and rejected b) for his own convenience (fair enough for him to prefer the USPS's insurance for *his* protection, but it puts the buyer in a nasty, paranoid spot until the item actually shows, with no way to affirm trust if it does get lost in shipping).
[In other words, I accept my risk of getting screwed, but sellers, if you're going to be honest, remember to confirm that honesty to your customers so *they* won't get heartburn in the process! If this item doesn't show, I've got little choice but to jump on the guy whether or not he's done wrong... Whereas with UPS, I'd be able to see that they decided to route it through Tampa or something and lay off.]
